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“Medicine Cabinet in a Bottle” - All about Tea Tree Essential Oil

“Medicine Cabinet in a Bottle” - All about Tea Tree Essential Oil

Posted by Donna Harlow - Essential Oils Instructor at The Mercantile Co. on Dec 2nd 2017

TEA TREE

Tea Tree or Melaleuca essential oil (Melaleuca alternifolia) is justifiably often referred to as a “medicine cabinet in a bottle”: It’s properties include analgesic, antibacterial, antifungal, anti-infectious, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, antiparasitic, a strong antiseptic, antiviral, decongestant, digestive, expectorant, immune stimulant, insecticidal, neurotonic, stimulant, and tissue regenerative. Being such a powerful antiseptic, and with strong immune-building properties, too, it has been used in its native Australia for centuries to heal cuts, for wounds and skin infections, and its fame has spread to the rest of the world, where it has become one of the most used oils.

While not proposing to diagnose any medical conditions here, according to Julia Lawless in The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Essential Oils (Rockport, MA: Element Books, 1995), 56-67, Tea Tree oil has been used successfully to treat acne, athlete's foot, candida, chicken pox, cold sores, colds, corns, cuts, flu, insect bites, itching, migraine, oily skin, ringworm, sinusitis, sores, spots, urethritis, warts, and whooping cough.

Tea Tree is a very versatile oil, blending particularly well with all citrus oils, cinnamon, clary sage, clove, cypress, eucalyptus, geranium, lavender, myrrh, nutmeg, rosemary, rosewood and thyme, and is often first choice for many uses around the home, in addition to treating multiple medical conditions. It works well in diffusers to help respiratory issues, and is a go-to ingredient in blends used for massage or in creams and lotions. Other practical applications include use in hair care products, as a makeup remover, for shaving or waxing, in toothpaste and mouthwash, as a deodorant, as a laundry freshener, in a soaking solutions for sore muscles, used to draw out a splinter, as an air purifier, to deodorize a garbage/diaper pail or freshen sports shoes, in cleaning products . . . and the list goes on and on!